Britain’s first-ever free phone line for lone parents was launched in Edinburgh and London today with the help of world-famous city author, and one-time single mum, JK Rowling. The helpline will offer advice on a range of topics including legal and financial worries. The Edinburgh launch was supported by Scottish Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm, who resigned a ministerial post in 1997 in protest at lone parent benefit cuts. The helpline brings together the work of three charities – One Parent Families Scotland and One Plus north of the Border and the National Council for One Parent Families in England and Wales. Ms Rowling, who is the ambassador for the National Council for One Parent Families, wrote her Harry Potter books while a lone parent in Edinburgh. (Registration is required to view this story at the link. However, the full article is available at TWW.)

While Springfield school officials have removed Harry Potter books from their library shelves because of a grandmother’s concerns about witchcraft, Joplin librarians say they have not received any formal complaints about the books. Even if someone went through the Joplin R-8 School District’s procedure for objecting to a library book, it probably would not be removed from the shelves until the issue was resolved, said Pat Rowland, library coordinator for the district.